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A Bicentennial Christmas Dinner

By Gail Garvie |

The American Christmas dinner, for all the nostalgia it evokes, derives almost as many of its traditional dishes from 18th century English cuisine as from any truly native sources. To the baked fowls, rich custards, and milk punches of the English holiday table, Americans added indigenous fruits and vegetables such as cranberries and, of course, the ubiquitous corn – the latter could even appear in liquid form. Southern cooks in particular have demonstrated that kind of ingenuity ordinarily described as “Yankee” in their transformation of the most mundane ingredients – bourbon, pecans, cornmeal – into dishes fit for elegant holiday menus.

One way to keep tradition in the kitchen this Bicentennial Christmas is to recreate the holiday dishes our ancestors relished. The task has been simplified by technology – another American “tradition” – and no one would suggest cooking a dinner for 12 on a wood stove, no matter how authentic the method; but some older ways still recommend themselves, and the use of natural ingredients whenever possible remains the most valuable of them.

Most health stores in Dallas offer selections of foodstuffs naturally grown or prepared. Try Harthomp & Moran, 1923 Greenville, for vegetables, fruits, cornmeal, and a complete line of flours from Arrowhead Mills. Roy’s Nutrition Centers, 1921 Elm and 3058 Mockingbird, carry organically-grown cranberries, an excellent red currant jelly, cheeses, corn syrups, and a wide variety of nuts, including blanched almonds.



Syllabub



An 18th century Southern inheritance from English Christmas tradition, syllabub is a 1 relative of eggnog, made with wine instead of brandy or bourbon.

Mix together 2 cups white wine, 5 tablespoons of grated lemon rind and 1/3 cup lemon juice. Stir 1 cup sugar into the wine mixture and let stand until the sugar is dissolved. Mix 3 cups milk and 2 cups light cream; add to this the wine mixture and beat with a rotary beater until frothy. Beat 4 egg whites until stiff, adding 1/2 cup sugar gradually while you beat. Pour the wine and milk mixture into a punch bowl; and top with the stiff egg whites which have been sprinkled with freshly-grated nutmeg.



Bourbon Balls



The South found many ways to enjoy bourbon besides simply drinking it; one of the most interesting is the bourbon ball, a confection contributed by Mrs. Byrdie Lawhon of Tupelo, Mississippi.

Grind together 1 pound vanilla wafers, 1 cup pecans, and 1 small box of pitted dates. Mix this with 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 2 tablespoons cocoa, and 8 tablespoons bourbon. Shape this into 1 inch balls, and roll the balls in 1 cup of powdered sugar, and store in air-tight containers. These are best if left to sit a day or two before eating.



Potato Cake



Nancy M. Stewart Williams, a life-long resident of Dallas County born in 1868, always treated her family and friends with this cake at Christmas.



1 cup shortening

1/2 c. cocoa

1/2 c. sugar

1 small box pitted dates, cut up and floured

1 c. mashed potatoes

1/2 c. broken nut meats

1 c. milk

2 tsp. baking powder

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

4 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. vanilla



Cream the sugar and shortening, and add the egg yolks. Beat in the mashed potatoes, alternately adding the milk and flour. Mix the cocoa with the other dry ingredients and add to the above. Add nut meats, dates and vanilla. Last, fold in the beaten egg whites. Bake in 350° oven for 1 or 1 1/2 hours in a tube pan.



Cornbread Dressing



Lowly cornbread has been transformed by Southern cooks into a variety of delicacies over the years. Perhaps the best-known of these is cornbread dressing which, with its soft and heady aroma, in no way resembles the dry, crunchy stuffings characteristic of other regions.



Begin with:

2 cups white corn meal

2 cups milk

3 eggs

2 or 3 tablespoons bacon drippings

2 tsp. salt

6 tsp. baking powder



Melt the bacon drippings in a large skillet. Mix together all other ingredients and stir in the bacon drippings. Pour the mixture into the skillet which has been heated very hot in a 400° oven. Cook until brown and done (about 30 minutes).

Turn the cornbread out, cool, and crumble it, along with about six or eight slices of white bread, into a big bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning and big pinches of sage and black pepper. Mix well. Chop 2 medium onions and 1 cup of fresh celery and simmer in 2 to 3 cups of fresh chicken broth until tender. Add this to crumb mixture until very soft. Season to taste with more sage and poultry seasoning. Pile the dressing around the turkey or put into a separate casserole dish and bake until very hot.

Do not brown.

Stuffed Onions



George Washington, like many of his fellow Southerners, was fond of onions in any shape, form, or fashion. Thomas Arp contributes this recipe for a traditional vegetable dressed up in a slightly non-traditional way.

Peel 4 large onions and cut in half crosswise. Cut out the centers, leaving a shell about 1/2 inch thick. Salt the onions. Mince about 1/3 of the cut-out middles finely and mix with 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon minced celery. Saute very slowly in 2 tablespoons butter for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon basil, salt, pepper, and a little cayenne.

Put the sautéed mix into the onion halves and put 2 tablespoons melted butter into a flat casserole. Cover with foil or a tight lid and bake lhour at 400°. If the onions are still pale, brown them under a broiler, and spoon the liquid over them.



Turkey



Give yourself a break and leave the bird to someone else. The Turkey Shop (a shorl drive down 1-35 south at the Abbott exit) sells’ some of the best either sliced, whole or half. Order ahead by calling (817) 582-2015.



Cranberry Sauce



One concession to up-Bast cuisine made by the Southern cooks is fresh cranberry sauce.

Wash 4 cups berries. Add 2 cups water and cook until the skins burst. Then force the fruit through a strainer or ricer. Add 2 cups sugar, place the mixture over heat and bring to a rolling boil, then remove at once.

Baked Squash Casserole



Baked with cheese and onions, squash makes an unusual vegetable casserole to accompany your Christmas turkey and dressing.



1 pound yellow crook-neck squash

1/2 cup cracker crumbs

1/4 cup fresh green pepper

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1 med. chopped onion

1 beaten egg

1/2 tap. salt

1/2 tap. sugar

1/2 tap. pepper

1/2 cup celery



Cook the squash in water, drain and mash. Cook the onion, celery, and pepper in water until tender, and then drain. Mix all the ingredients except the cheese with the squash. Bake at 400° until firm and slightly brown. Put the grated cheese evenly over the casserole, and put the lid on until the cheese melts.



Holiday Salad



This salad was a specialty of Mrs. Annie Ept-ing of Tupelo, Mississippi during the 1920’s and 30’s.



1/2 lb. large marshmallows (no substitutes)

8 oz. mild cheddar, grated

1 # 2 can crushed pineapple

1/2 pint whipping cream (for sweeter, richer salad use 1 pint)

1 envelope plain gelatin

1 bottle maraschino cherries



Snip the marshmallows into small pieces with scissors and add to the grated cheese. Drain the pineapple, saving the juice. Dissolve the gelatin in cold water and stir it into the heated, but not boiling, pineapple juice, mixing well. Add the gelatin and juice mixture to the crushed pineapple; stir well, and then mix with the cheese and marshmallows. Blend in the whipped cream. Pour into a mold. Do not freeze. When congealed cut into squares, topping each with a cherry. May be served on lettuce with mayonnaise.



Trifle

A rich and elegant dish usually served in cut-glass bowls, the trifle, George Washington’s favorite dessert, has graced Southern tables since the eighteenth century.



1/2 cup blanched almonds

1/4 cup dry sherry

1/4 lb. candied cherries

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 lb. lady fingers

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup tart currant jelly

2 large eggs

1/2 lb. almond macaroons

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

4 tbls. sugar



Toast the almonds in a 350° oven and allow them to cool. Chop the toasted almonds and the candied cherries. Cut each ladyfinger in half, lengthwise, and spread the cut sides with jelly. Arrange the jelly-spread ladyfingers and the macaroons in layers over the bottom and Bides of a glass or crystal bowl. Sprinkle with sherry.

Place the cornstarch in a saucepan and very gradually stir in the milk with a wire whisk. Beat the eggs and add them plus 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly, to make a custard. Cool and fold in the chopped cherries.

Whip the cream, and before it is stiff add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Fold into the custard and pour the mixture into the lined bowl. Chill and sprinkle with almonds before serving.

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